ASUS to launch affordable ZenFone lineup in March

Next month ASUS will start marketing its Intel-based entry-level ZenFone smartphones in China, Southeast Asia and other emerging markets. Initially, there were will three versions: a 4" ZenFone for $99, a 4.5" version for $149 and a 6" device for $199.

Asustek plans to launch at least six ZenFone smartphones in 2014 and aims to ship a total of 10 million ZenFones in the year, said the sources, citing a company internal plan.

However, some market watchers are skeptical of Asustek's goal given strong competition in China's entry-level smartphone segment and high price-performance ratios of China-made smartphones.

China's top-4 handset vendors - ZTE, Huawei, Lenovo and Coolpad - all aim to ship over 50 million smartphones in 2014, while other second-tier brands including Xiaomi Technology are also ramping up their shipments, indicated the sources.